Mere Mortals Conversations

After 15 years in law, Mel Storey walked away to build Career Big Sis, a movement helping ambitious professionals back themselves, set boundaries, and take the first step even when they can’t see the whole staircase. We go deep on burnout, the moment everything broke after Covid, rebuilding with a mental health plan, and the practical maths she…

The three fundamentals of lifestyle, action & communication. In Episode #497 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the core idea of “true confidence” versus the old-school “fake it till you make it confidence” pickup playbook, startling a girl at the gym, how polarisation beats bland small talk, whether beginners sometimes need the “false confidence”…

Guest: Sheridan — Owner/Head Coach, SUB 60 Coorparoo. Best contact: Instagram DMs (search “Sub 60 Coorparoo”) Sheridan (owner of SUB 60 Coorparoo) breaks down the reality of launching a hybrid gym: building a true community, programming for all levels, and grinding through 8 classes a day while raising a family. We cover HYROX ambitions, why she…

What if God was one of us, just a machine like one of us. In Episode #496 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: if AI is becoming our new god, why some people are treating AI less like a tool and more like an authority, grift vs belief vs larping on social media, what would convince us that it is indeed God, the human propensity for subservience and…

That's right, we're going to begin manifesting oioioahahaoiaoiaheyayy! In Episode #495 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the power of language in goal-setting, how small word choices can meaningfully shift direction over time, changing nouns to verbs (e.g., “find” to “bond,” “create” to “forge,” “build” to “care”), softening health goals as we get…

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the…

We're analysing what I got up to in 2025 and changing my focus to the future. In Episode #494 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: tax-optimising mistakes/language detours, fantastic one‑arm handstand progress, an only ok year in review, a new overarching theme of revitalising hunger/focus, quarterly fitness blocks (legs, pull, running, endurance) with…

In this episode of Mere Mortals, I break down the crucial difference between trophies (wealth, fame, happiness) and generators (the daily actions and systems that actually create them). Chasing the scoreboard leads to shortcuts, burnout, and emptiness. But when you build the engine—your habits, integrity, and craft—the trophies arrive as inevitable…

What does it really take to build a cult brand? Andrew Taylor, founder of Live Co, returns to share the uncomfortable truth: belief beats noise, community beats clout, and data beats feelings. We dig into 300% growth in a year, the Ultra Fit hat that solved a real problem, why followers/likes don’t matter, and his “push it till it breaks” method…

Is Juan about to create the newest version of LOTR or Gorillaz? In Episode #493 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: the origins of various types of lore, how these worlds are constructed with varying degrees of complexity and interactivity, hard versus soft world building, a creator's control over the narrative, how modern technology and platforms…